Get a degree that goes way beyond fashion.

So you want to study fashion? Design school is one option if you just want to study, well, design. But try this on for size: you could come to URI and get the breadth of a full university education, engage in a whole lot of interdisciplinary work with such areas as business, theatre, art, and public relations, learn about the science of fibers and fabrics, and maybe even get a second degree in Italian or French.

URI’s degrees in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, and Design, and Textile Marketing cover the entire supply chain and prepare you for the wide range of careers that the industry has to offer. When you graduate, you’ll be well prepared for positions such as assistant designer, fashion merchandiser, production coordinator, retail manager, allocation analyst, assistant buyer, and quality control specialist. And that’s just to name a few of your options.

Why TMD at URI?

GLOBALIZE YOUR DEGREE.
A lot of fashion happens in Europe, of course, and our TMD program is designed to prepare you for success in fashion cultures there, too. As a TMD major you can also earn a degree in French or Italian, and study abroad at such schools as Mod’Spe, a Parisian fashion marketing and merchandising school, or Accademia Italiana, considered one of the best fashion and design schools in Italy. Fact is, more than half of our TMD students study abroad while at URI.

GET DESIGNS ON ALL KINDS OF CAREERS.
You’ll have plenty of internship opportunities while you’re here, leading to lots of career options when you graduate. You can find our alumni doing fashion design for such companies as Kenneth Cole, Anne Klein and Talbots; social media marketing for Kate Spade New York; research and development for Saucony; textile conservation at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; and working in the anthropology division of the Smithsonian Institute.

LAB COATS ARE FASHIONABLE TOO.
At URI, design is just the “D” in TMD. If you’re into forensics, archaeology, or inventions for better healthcare, you’ll like the “T” too. Inside the textile testing laboratory, students work with internationally renowned textile chemist Martin Bide, who has developed a synthetic arterial bypass graft and a revolutionary wound dressing that combines infection resistance with blood clotting agents. He’s also worked with TMD Professor Margaret Ordonez to help the FBI develop a database of dyed fibers.